Let Us Live
by Bloody-Aliice
Summary: Peter Pan's life was running to an end, and there was no way you would let that happen. Sacrifying one boy's life was a small price to pay. Until his entire family actually came on Neverland to save him, which complicated things a tad bit. Two villains against a whole bunch of heroes and repented evil figures, and both camps fighting for one thing: love.


**Disclaimer: I do not own Peter Pan or Once Upon a Time.**

 **A/N: This story does not consider the fact that Peter Pan is related to Rumpelstiltskin and Henry in any way.**

A strange and quite unusual unrest reigned in the camp and the lost boys whispered questions to one another, wondering what was happening. Most of them just wanted to go back to sleep, while some refused to fall asleep not knowing what the reason for all this fuss was. The low whispers suddenly stopped mid-sentence when Felix walked past the group of sleepy boys. His features were twisted in an ungraceful displeased frown and his entire aura screamed 'shut the fuck up or you'll regret it'. A heavy silence settled in until his figure disappeared in the night, but his destination was clear: he was heading towards Pan's shack.

The wooden door creaked open, making it impossible for him to enter without being noticed. Not that it was a problem for Pan was wide awake, looking as indifferent as usual even though Felix out of all the boys was the one capable of telling when he just pulled that face as a facade. This was one of those moments.

"It's been two days Pan," Felix stated, clicking his tongue as a mean of punctuation.

"I know," Peter growled, glaring towards the boy as if saying 'tell me something i don't know'. The blond boy almost expected him to continue but Peter kept quiet.

"Where is she?" Felix asked. It was a rather stupid question to be honest, but it was far too long since she left the camp. It was never that long. He was hoping she was on some kind of secret mission only her and Pan knew about. Of course Felix would be passably pissed to be kept out of their plans but not as pissed as if something actually went wrong. "What if-"

"Shut. Up." Pan ordered and Felix closed his mouth. He finally turned away from his window (he calls it window although there was no glass) from where he could see the bay and its sirens. The moon reflected on the calm water, giving the two boys a ghostly complexion. Felix's forehead was wet of sweat and Pan's poker face hardly held in place. Something in his eyes was burning like a wildfire and if he put his hands and those damned bastards who took (Y/N) he'd beat them to a bloody pulp, no magic involved. "She more anyone knows what she's doing. It can't be long before she returns," he eventually said before dismissing his friend with a gesture of the hand.

Felix wanted to say something but he knew that trying go reassure Pan was to no avail. Nobody had more faith in (Y/N) than him. The blond boy walked out. Before he closed the door, Peter spoke up, "Whatever happened, she can't be in danger. They are the heroes," he spat that last part. "And she's (Y/N)."

Felix would never know if it was directed to him but as he had nothing to answer he closed the door behind him and walked away.

OOOOOOO

Peter's face was closed as ever, he harbored an undecipherable expression but the way he clenched his teeth and fists, making his knuckles turn white and the vein on his temple throb like it was about to burst open spoke for itself.

"They noticed she's not here anymore. I tried to tell them she returned from a mission and was resting here with you but you're not really helping, looking all murderous and barking at the boys all the time," Felix exclaimed, which didn't exactly help calming Peter's nerves.

"You say one more thing and I make you a matching symmetric scar," Pan threatened, causing him to flinch. "She should be back. Another two days not knowing what's going on and I'll set this whole island on fire until everything's reduced to ashes."

"If you d-"

"I know I cannot do this Felix, stop patronizing me at once! I'll say it one last time, she knows what she's doing. Her powers rival with mine, if she wanted to she could have just reappeared here and kick your stupid ass for doubting her." Ignoring the threat, Felix continued,

"Maybe they found a way to block her powers." For the short span of a couple seconds he saw Pan froze and tense up but he quickly recomposed himself.

"Unlikely. Such an exploit would necessitate a very strong artifact, she's too powerful," Peter declared. "How could they find this if they've been stuck here for the last two weeks?" He gestured Felix that this conversation was over.

"Maybe it didn't work this time, maybe they didn't believe her," Felix rambled on and on, ignoring Pan's infuriated expression and the way he glared him daggers. He was just sick worried, (Y/N) was Felix's friend too. But Pan's patience was wearing thin and if you didn't come back soon, he'd lash out on Felix and the other Lost Boys. Please you or not, he was going to intervene if this went on. The risk of ruining your masquerade was worth it, especially if your safety was on the line. Peter would sooner die than lose you.

Just when the blond lost boy was about to resume he worrisome speech, an ear-piercing scream echoed through the woods, so loud the entire island must have heard it, from the Skull Rock to the mermaids lagoon. The two boys ran out of the shack and gave anxious looks around them. The source of this frightful scream couldn't be too far, but the fact that the camp was situated in the middle of Neverland didn't exactly help.

"What was that Pan?" A boy asked.

"Was it Y/N?" Another one, who still had a running nose and baby cheeks, asked in a rather worried tone. Peter glanced towards the boy but quickly withdrew his eyes from the small boy tearing up at the thought of something bad happening to (Y/N). The truth was that he had no idea if that was you or not. Not once in all the years you spent on Neverland did you show any sign of fear or any other emotion susceptible to cause this kind of scream. Blood rushed to Peter's face as he clenched his teeth and fists in frustration. You were in trouble and he had to find you as fast as possible.

"You stay here and watch the boys," Pan stated in a monotonous tone. Felix nodded, even though Pan hadn't once graced him with a look, he knew he was addressing to him. "I'm bringing her back. Don't expect me until I find her." And after ordering them to go back to work, he disappeared.

OOOOOOO

Dawn. The fifth day. You woke up from your brief nap, feeling – and probably looking – terrible, for you hadn't slept a full night since you left the camp. Though your condition had considerably worsened yesterday. A sharp kick to the lower region of your back made you flinch and drew the hair from your lungs for a split second.

"Oye, demon girl! Get on up, we have much to do!" A way too joyous pirate laughed, taking pleasure in rushing you up this early in the morning. The day was still young but when you looked around, all of them were up and ready to go. Snow White and Prince Charming were busy lighting down the fire and the Evil Queen and the Savior seemed to argue – which really was normal. Hook on the other side, was all eyes for you, scarcely blinking, in fear you'd take advantage of any kind of distraction from his side to flee and go back to Pan.

"Didn't ya hear?! On your feet," Hook repeated, giving you another kick with the sole of his boot.

Cursing under your breath, you tried to wriggle your way up, but it was a rather difficult task since they tied your hands behind your back.

"A helpful hand would be welcome," you said, smirking a bit. His face dropped and he begrudgingly helped you up on your feet. It was too good to play him, and you feared you enjoyed this way too much. It wasn't time to play games, you needed to go back to Peter.

His hand holding you tight around the arm, Hook led you through the jungle for a good part of the morning. It didn't occur to them that they were bringing you exactly where you wanted to be, and you didn't forget to look scared and unwilling to follow them every once in a while. You caught Hook's and the Evil Queen's spiteful glares, but also Snow's guilty expression, and Charming's eyes switching from you to Hook, as if doubting his story about how much of a monster you were.

The small group of heroes and former villains kept forcing their way through the jungle, stumbling over fallen trunks, tangle creepers and misplaces rocks, unaware of how close they were to their goal. For the last four days, you had made sure they didn't find the camp, leading them astray and making them go around. You were now at half a day away from Peter and the Lost Boys. The proximity was dangerous but you hoped that if didn't escape the boys. You were here to gather information, and your mission was done. Well almost. There was still one missing piece to your puzzle.

Where was the last member of this merry troop?

OOOOOOO

 _A few hours later..._

Peter Pan and Neverland were one. He had wandered the place countless times, he knew ever turn, every rock, every nook, but still, he felt utterly helpless at the moment. A rather unfamiliar feeling one might say. The island never failed to warn him whenever intruders showed up, but sadly, his link with Neverland didn't go further than that and it didn't allow him to locate the said intruders. If he could, he would've found you by now. After a day of searching for you in the lagoon and the forest, he was starting to go mad. Not having you around for such a long time didn't happen in years, and the sudden realization that he might never see you again if he didn't find a way to get to you was drawing the air away from his lungs in the most uncomfortable way.

There was no trace of you, and the island was so big. Peter wanted to tell the Lost Boys to patrol to find you faster but he knew that if the intruders were powerful enough to catch you, the boys stood no chance. He was missing something. Things never became out of control, out of _your_ control. The chances of them capturing you against your will was unlikely – if not completely impossible – but if you really were safe, and had the matters in your hands then you wouldn't stay quiet for so long. Not giving signs of being alive was unlike you, for you always dropped a few hints whenever you could, just to make sure Pan knew everything was going according the plan. So what was different now?

Peter will have to find you to find out, and this thought only made him walk faster, feeling a new sense of determination burning in his veins. Going to sleep without you was out of the question, his only peace of mind would come from you being safe, in his arms.

To have a better view on Neverland, Peter appeared atop the rock on the waterfall, one of your favorite spots. He sighed, wishing he had done this when it was still daylight when suddenly, something caught his eye. Something that wasn't supposed to be there, and which he couldn't have seen earlier in the day: a fire.

"Idiots," he snarled. The fact that they were so carelessly lighting up a campfire in the middle of an hostile island while knowing Pan was on their heels was explained by one of two ways. Either they were just as stupid as that, or they wanted to be found. In both cases the result was the same. Peter disappeared from the rock and reappeared very close to their little camp. He quickly scanned the surroundings, counting them and evaluating his chances of taking you from them and leaving without putting you in danger.

As for the pirate, it was easy, Peter had beat him before and he could do it again with a hand behind his back. Snow White and her prince had too good of a heart to harm kids, because that's what you were to them, kids. It didn't matter if you and Peter were older than all of them together, you still looked the same age as the first time you stepped on Neverland. Peter was on his guards around the Savior and the Evil Queen, the latter was ruthless that he was sure of, but the blond woman, he didn't know her. She could be a threat for all he knew, or maybe just a soft princess, like her DNA should have made her – what else could the produce of True Love be?

"I see I come just in time for dinner," Peter said after walking out of the woods, hands in view to show them he wasn't armed. Snow White let go of the fish she was roasting over the fire and stood up to grab her bow. She was immediately joined by Charming who placed himself between Peter and his wife. The other three were all teeth, ready to bite. The Evil Queen played with a fireball, obviously more than pleased with the idea of melting the teenager's face off. Hook and the Savior held their swords at him, ready to fight.

Peter let out a faint laughter then did a small gesture of the hand and before they even knew what was happening, their weapons had disappeared.

"Who are you?" The Savior spat at him. He was rather surprised she didn't recognize him. Had Hook forgotten to update her about their common past? Never mind, he had other worries on his mind. The look on her face was swaying between suspicion and worry.

"Me?" Peter asked, playing innocent. He pointed towards him.

"Demon boy," Hook spat on the ground and looked at the woman. "Don't listen to a bloody word coming out of his mouth Swan," he warned her. The sense of distrust she felt before now completely obliterated her worry.

"Why? Who is he?" She asked again, not glancing away from him even one second. _Smart girl_.

"I'm Peter. Peter Pan." The boy introduced himself, not pleased with the fact that they talked about him like he wasn't right in front of their eyes. He stepped down the log he was walking on, but suddenly, he felt as though an invisible hand was holding him back, not allowing him to move.

"Not a step closer, pretty boy," the Evil Queen hissed, her hand in the air before her. Her smirk grew wider when she saw her magic had power over Peter and he stayed still, letting her believe so.

"I believe you have something of mine," Peter said nonchalantly as if he was in control of the whole situation.

"Aye, and I bet you came all the way here to get her back, didn't ya?" Hook smugly asked him, bragging even though he did nothing.

"Where is she?" Peter asked, his voice much more serious than a second before. He still couldn't see you, so they must have put some sort of spell on you so you would stay hidden from anyone's view but theirs.

"She's safe, now if you would consider freeing Henry, maybe we could make a deal," the Savior – Swan – said.

Peter scoffed, "A deal?"

"An exchange," she answered, not elaborating any further. At least she went straight to the point, and didn't feel like bragging all night long like Hook would have.

"I want to see her for myself," Peter insisted. If they didn't show you, he'd drop the act and stop pretending he couldn't overpower them all. The Evil Queen's grip on him was weak as can be, he'd be free in the flick of his hand. Just when the thought crossed his mind, he felt the enclosing sensation go away, and with the hand she formerly used to keep Peter still, the Queen made a quick gesture towards the foot of a big oak and you became visible again, as well as able to speak.

"(Y/N)," Peter mouthed your name only for you to recognize. You haven't missed a thing from the meeting and although you were surprised – to say the least – to see him, having Peter here wasn't quite as problematic as you thought it'd be. Maybe you two could get them to talk.

"Peter!" You called him weakly, violently biting the inside of your cheeks to make your eyes watery. "Peter help me!" You pleaded further, seeing him frown in confusion at your words. But he recognized the fake quiver of your lips and played along.

"Don't worry, love. I'll bring you home," he smiled at you.

"Not happening unless you bring Henry here." Swan placed herself in front of Peter to block his view on you. Anger flashed through him but he tried to remain calm and not lash out.

"And then what?" He needed to know what they planned to do, although you probably already knew that, he didn't want to take a chance.

"We leave and never come back. We don't need to fight," Snow White answered instead of her daughter.

"You're telling me you came in peace, and yet you kidnap (Y/N), knowing that I would have no other choice than to give you what you want in order to guarantee her safety. That's pretty rich, especially coming from heroes," Peter purposely pushed her buttons, knowing full well that Snow White wouldn't stand hurting you anyway. "I say you're lying."

"We're not playing truth or dare, this is real life boy," the Evil Queen interrupted. "We have the girl, we make the rules." And to prove her point, she magically grabbed you by the neck, pulling you up to your feet as you struggled to get out of her invisible grip, letting your tears run down your reddened cheeks. Even knowing that you were faking all of it wasn't making it any easier for Pan to watch you cry and plead for his help. But when he started walking up to you, the Queen quickly dropped you, leaving you to fall to the ground in a loud thud, and place her grip back on Peter. Hook took the relay and made you stand on your feet, holding you right in front of him, with his hook against your throat and his other hand in your hair to pull your head back.

"Look at that delicate neck, Pan, would be a shame to-" the pressure on your neck increased and you felt the tip of the hook dig into your skin, causing a small drops of blood to run down your stainless neck. "-mishandle it," Hook finished, satisfied with the look of pure hatred in Peter's eyes as he watched his enemy hurt you.

"Hook, no!" Snow tried to calm him down, but seeing Pan so close, and having the very thing that could get him his revenge on his old enemy made Hook insensible, and he couldn't care less about hurting you. If Peter Pan had one weakness, it was you.

But those who were clever enough to deduce that sadly never lived to tell about it, because they had forgotten to take something in account: you. Far from being Pan's precious little toy, you were also one of the best and most trained killer on the loose. Before joining Peter on Neverland, you lived in the Enchanted Forest, daughter of a father hunter and a mother witch, it was fair to say that you were a pretty skilled child. Born in a ruthless world you became twice as ruthless to survive.

The tension and the electric atmosphere that settled within the small group was broken by a sudden fit of laughter coming from you. You cheeks still stained from the tears, you looked like a madwoman when you started chortling and smirking as if you knew something you were the only one to know.

"What is it with her?" The Evil Queen asked, annoyed with Hook and with your sudden fit of giggles. "Has she gone mad?"

"You came to rescue me, Peter?" You asked, causing him to look at you. Finally, he recognized his girl. There was a time for games and a time for business. "How thoughtful," you chuckled.

"Stop talking demon girl, or I'll rip your throat out," the pirate threatened, though his warning had basically no impact on you whatsoever.

"Really?" You asked, raising an eyebrow at him. When he was about to answer, you disappeared from his grip, leaving him mouth-gaped. You reappeared in front of him and before he had time to react, you twisted his valid arm around until he yelped in pain and then you proceeded to knock him off his feet and abruptly push him back. His head hit the tree behind him and it knocked him out right away.

Peter took this as his signal and with a flick of the wrist he broke the Queen's spell on him and froze the Prince and his wife right on the spot. The Evil Queen formed two balls of fire and threw them towards you and Peter, but you deflected them both effortlessly.

"So you heard you don't like games, huh?" You grinned wickedly as you grabbed the Queen by the neck magically, just like she did to you minutes before. "Well that's too bad, because it seems like we only just started playing." She tried to get rid of your invisible fingers tightening around her neck, only allowing her to breath – barely – but not to answer. Sadly, her fingers only found air to grasp and your grasp on her was firm and strong.

"You're not making the rules anymore, _heroes_ ," Peter snarled, mocking their self-designated title and walking up to Swan, cornering her between him, a tree and the Evil Queen. "This is Neverland!" He smirked, making a wide gesture of the hand. "Did you seriously think you could come here and order me around?"

"You're not longer in Storybrooke, dear," you cooed in the Queen's ear, enjoying her angered expression. "You don't get to make the rules, we do. And the game has already started. Now you play-" you tightened you fingers around her thin neck even more, just for dramatic effect. "-or you die." Suddenly, you let go of her.

Pan took the opportunity of her momentary surprise to cast a sleeping spell on her and she collapsed on the ground, the leaves cushioning her fall. He was about to administrate the same treatment to the last one of them when you stopped him.

"What do you want from me?" The Savior asked, her hands in the air in sign of surrender, knowing she had absolutely no chance of getting out of this situation.

"We should cast a confusion spell on them and leave them here," Peter advised. You shot him a glare though, signifying him that you weren't leaving before getting your last piece of information.

"Emma," you started, a soft smile on your lips. It always amazed Peter how good you were at this. "Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you."

You sensed Peter's unease and although he remained still you could almost hear him ask 'oh, are we?'.

"We just want Henry back, we didn't come to get into trouble," she tried to explain, though it was nothing you didn't already know. "He belongs with his family."

"And I guess all of you are his family? How convenient to have Snow White and her prince, the Savior, the Evil Queen, and Rumpelstiltskin as relatives," you hissed. "And as for him," you pointed to Hook's unconscious figure, "I don't really know, I'm guessing you took a liking to him, which is beyond me."

"Coming from Peter Pan's toy girl that's pretty rich," Emma snapped, forgetting to sugar coat her words.

Before she realized what was happening, her back hit the nearest tree rather harshly, making her want to scream in pain but the impact drew the air from her lungs, only allowing a small cough to come out of her throat. Peter was furious and if you hadn't put you hand on his shoulder, he would've killed the woman right on the spot for saying such blasphemous words.

"I advise you stay on our good side, I don't have as much patience as (Y/N)," Peter told her, making her flinch slightly and look back at you.

"Look at her, wriggling like a fish out of water, as if she had any chance to actually escape," you mocked Emma's desperate attempts to free herself, causing her face to redden in anger. You pulled out your knife, the one you always kept on you, hidden under your clothes, and pressed the tip under her chin to force her to look up. Her look of surprise didn't escape you. "Oh yes, that's right, I had a knife all this time. Because what's the point in searching for weapons in a land of magic, right?"

"Stop playing with your food," Peter grumbled.

"Killjoy," you said, turning around to face him and winking at him. He smirked as you placed yourself beside him.

"Alright, Swan, have you ever played aim practice?" To illustrate your statement and to spare her the trouble of answering, you threw a knife at her. It brushed against her cheek, leaving a small trail of blood and a bunch of chopped off hair on its way before hitting the tree she was pinned against. "The rules are I ask you a question and every time you answer with a lie, I try from two steps farther away from the tree."

"How will you know if I lie?" She asked daringly, chin up.

"Oh I won't," you shrugged and then smiled. "But Peter will. You're not the only one with a lie detector Emma. And I think, if I'm not mistaken, that Peter has had much more time than you to practice his skill."

"Shut up now little pest, and ask the damned question," Emma groaned.

You shot a glance towards Peter and he nodded in approval.

"Where is Rumpelstiltskin and what are his plans?"

OOOOOOO

When the boys saw you coming back, they gathered around you and Peter, asking lots of questions after your almost one week disappearance. For the first time in days, the camp seemed alive again, and the Lost Boys, especially the young ones, cheered and laughed at the sight of you two walking among them, apparently safe and sound. You were starving but the hunger didn't even amount to how tired you felt after a week of barely napping one or two hours a days.

"Off you go!" Peter barked at them, making the boys frown but step out of the way anyway. "We need to rest, enough with all the questions." His tone was stark and his word final.

He dragged you by the arm to the wooden shack. You were about to snap at him for being so grumpy since you left the bunch of heroes in the middle of the jungle.

"What is your damn problem, Peter?" You shouted when he pushed you inside. After over five hundred years of couple life with him, you'd think he knew better than to mishandle you. "When have you become so hysteric when I'm not around to hold your leash?" You knew you crossed the line by saying that but after a week of being sleep deprived and surrounded by well-intentioned idiots, you were fed up.

The boy turned around to face you, lightnings flashing out of his eyes and his lips brought together in a thin line. From the way he balled up his fists and the way his veins thickened you understood that he was more furious than you had seen him in a while.

"Don't push your luck, (Y/N)," he warned you, ready to storm off.

"Don't even think about walking out of here, we're not done! This is no way of handling things Peter, why did you come? I was fine!"

"Well, I guess I made a mistake then," he deadpanned, infuriating you furthermore. "It's not like I had any idea of how you were doing since you didn't show any sign of being alive during the five last days!"

"I couldn't do anything, they were watching me around the clock! And maybe I could explain you what happened if you calm down!" You stepped in front of Peter, both of you breathing unevenly and loudly, challenging each other with their stare. You were one foot shorter than him but you were no less fierce and he knew better than to get one your bad side.

After two minutes of fuming inwardly, Peter scoffed and looked away, breaking eye contact with you. You crossed your arms over your chest and turned around, unable to look at him any longer. You never liked fighting with Peter, it was an old thing to you, you had had the time to go over every possible subject of argument in your life and it always ended up in one of you two throwing a tantrum and then apologizing.

"I'm sorry," you sighed, running a hand in your hair. "I'm not in the mood to fight. I don't like being away from you either, I missed you."

There was a second of silence between you two, and suddenly, you felt his chest pressing against your back and his arms looping around your stomach. He pressed a kiss on the back of your head and you closed your eyes, content with the feeling. He withdrew his hands from your waist and moved them to your back to start unlacing your under bust corset. Peter always teased you about your pirate-like clothes, because you always wore thigh high leather boots, a white blouse flowing sleeves and a corset. Funnily enough, it was thanks to those clothes that you met Peter, after sneaking on a ship traveling to Neverland.

When the corset dropped on the floor, you turned around in Peter's arms. His hands brushed over your naked shoulders, pushing aside your long (H/C) locks.

"What happened (Y/N)?" He asked in a soft voice, making you shiver slightly.

"I was trying to buy some time, they were pretty secretive. When I found them, I told them I was here against my will and I wanted them to help me escape. In exchange I offered to be their guide through the jungle because I knew the island. They were reluctant but also desperate so they agreed, and I joined their quest to save Henry. I led them astray and made them go round and round for three days, and I still had no useful information," you explained, a bit annoyed with your lack of result in this case. "But then they asked I lead them to Cannibal Cave, they said they were to meet a friend. I took the opportunity to lead to towards the bridge, told them it was the only way. I was kind of hoping one of them wouldn't make it across – a girl can dream. The Savior almost fell and Snow White immediately flew to her rescue, but she actually fell while trying to help her – she started screaming like a pig, it was a mess."

"Yeah, we heard it, it made my hair stand on end! I thought it was you," Peter interrupted and you glared at him, shooting him daggers with your eyes. "I just-" he tried to explain. "I imagined the worse, I knew you wouldn't be screaming and begging if you were about to die."

"Anyway," you brushed it off. "The Savior, she's got magic, who knew? I couldn't predict that, but she same Snow White and all of them crossed the bridge safely. It became ugly after that, when we reached their 'friend' – how could I guess it was bloody Captain Hook?"

Peter cursed and his eyes darkened, "If I see this bastard again, I will kill him for what he did to you!" He threatened hatefully. His thumb brushed over your open wound on the neck. Although it was minimal, it was still bleeding a bit.

"I'm fine," you scolded him for being so protective over you. "I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself."

"You should have dropped it," Peter snapped, still fuming because you got hurt.

"I know it wasn't the wisest decision, but I needed one last piece of information. I wanted to know how far they'd go to get the boy back. And where Rumpelstiltskin was hiding."

"How do they intend to leave Neverland?" Peter asked, his curiosity stung.

You huffed mockingly, "Their plan to escape is pathetic, honestly I have no idea how they want to do that. I think they didn't plan ahead any of this, they just jumped in the lion's den to get the boy back."

"Heroes are fueled with hope, they think they can take a shot in the dark and hit the target," Pan mocked. You were looking away from him, looking rather upset that you didn't manage to gather more information, especially since you were among them longer than you ever were with anyone else, and worried Peter.

"What else did they do to you?" He suddenly wondered, making you close your eyes.

"Nothing I couldn't handle, just a bit of the rough side of the hand," you evasively told him, hoping it was enough to satisfy his curiosity. "Hey!" You shouted when you felt Peter lift up your blouse. It was barely up for a split second but Peter saw the bruises from Hook's kicks.

"I'm going to kill him," he said in an emotionless tone. "I'm leaving right now, going back to where we left them and I'll kill him."

"How do you know it was Hook?" You asked.

"I didn't know, but I was going to lash out on him anyway, he deserves it," Peter stated, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. "I'm not allowing you to do that anymore!" He exclaimed. "This little thing of yours is over, no more double agent game."

"Excuse me?" You snarled, highly displeased with his declaration. If Peter thought he could tell you what to do, maybe it was time to remind him how wrong he was. You never liked putting him back in his right place, because it wounded his ego, but from time to time he believed he had his word to say on what you did. "I'm not asking permission, I'm not one of the Lost Boys, you don't get to order me around!"

"I know that," he laughed though there was nothing funny. "I know I'll have to go against your will and tie you against a tree, but if it's what it takes to keep you safe, I'll do it, trust me."

"If you do that, I'll make you pay!" You warned him, not joking one bit.

"I'm willing to take the risk if it keeps you from putting yourself in danger!" He defied her, not caring about the murderous glares you were giving him.

"So what? You'll keep me handcuffed to the bed? Hands tied behind my back? You'll walk me around with a leash around the neck like a pet?" You snickered. "What a plan! Not letting me do anything besides sleeping and eating! You barely let me do anything before and now you want to take this away from me too?"

"Yes I let you!" Peter argued with you.

"Only because I don't give you a choice!" You replied, and although he wanted to deny it, he knew you were right. If it was up to him, you'd never even break a fingernail.

"(Y/N)," Peter sighed in defeat, tired of arguing. He couldn't stand seeing you mad at him, but the need to protect you was too strong to get past it. "I know what you're capable of. Why do you keep fighting? What are you trying to prove?"

"Nothing, I just like a good rush of adrenaline, and I'm good at it, so why wouldn't I put my skills to good use?" You asked, legitimately.

"I know!" Peter snapped before repeated, more calmly, "I know... But I also know it take less than a second to kill someone, or hurt them deadly, and I some day it happens to you because I foolishly let you fight front battle, I will never forgive myself." The teenage boy had trouble keeping his voice even, and he had to look away from her pained eyes to remain straight faced.

"Don't play mind games with me, Peter, you're just trying to make me feel guilty. I told you, I'm not one of your little puppets you can play, I'm-"

"My True Love," he finished, a soft smile adorning his lips as he looked at your expression when the words crossed his lips. It had the immediate effect to shut you up. "Whom I cannot risk losing over a stupid fight." This made you purse your lips in slight annoyance but Peter resumed before you had a chance to speak up. "Name one time I refused to let you participate," he dared you. There was a long silence. "See? I can't refuse you anything, even when I disapprove."

"But you send Felix or the Lost Boys to watch after me," you replied, making a point.

"Right," Peter clicked his tongue. "I almost forgot about this one time," he laughed. "(Y/N) please, don't be so harsh on me."

His exacerbated sense of protectiveness always got to you and you put your hands on his chest, gently rubbing him through the material of his shirt.

"There would be no fun without a little danger. Where's your sense of adventure?" You whispered seductively, leaning in as the words fell from your wicked tongue. Peter raised his eyebrows in a way a way that meant 'are you seriously turning this against me?'. You sighed at your failed attempt to calm his temper. "I know what you're thinking, but it's not fair to me."

"Not fair? Sparing you from danger because I love you is not fair?" Peter blinked in astonishment.

"Yes not fair! I never heard you barking after the boys when they get into dangerous situations, you barely let me do this, you can't expect me to run away whenever it gets ugly. I can do more than my share of work and you know that, I'm very capable, I have proven it hundreds of times. What more do you need?"

"I have little concern about the boys, that's why they get the dirty work. You're supposed to be safe. I don't care about being fair (Y/N), I care about your life!"

"My life!" You exclaimed, throwing your hands in the air. "My life is not threatened, never has been, trust me. I had it all under control, but I still needed to know where Rumpelstiltskin went off! If there's one of us that has their life hanging on the line it's you!" Angry tears built up in your eyes but you swallowed them down, refusing to show any sign of weakness.

"Ever thought that maybe that was _my_ concern?" Peter turned around and rubbed his hands over his face, tired, oh so tired of fighting with you, tired of walking through the woods and craving the feeling of touching you. "All I'm asking is that you stop playing solo. If you want to fight and participate, alright. But do it with me, fight by my side."

Silence followed his statement, for you had nothing to reply to that. You rubbed your hands over your face, unable to think straight, the lack of sleep confusing you. You wanted to scream and to punch a hole through a wall but Peter looked at you and he seemed worried and sorry. You loved him and all you wanted right now was to forget about the fight and sleep in his arms.

"Besides," he continued, facing your lack of reaction. He stepped closer to you until you were pinned against the wall of the cabin. "I could use having the deadliest assassin of all realms watching my back," he whispered.

A furtive glow flashed in your eyes and a second later your legs were wrapped around Peter's hips, his body pressed tight against you, and in your right hand was your dagger, which you pressed close to his throat, the sharp blade cold against his skin, hereby showing your aforementioned killing skills.

"That I am," you cooed in his ear, smirking.

"Don't claim victory so soon, love," Peter chuckled. "You should have a look down." Following his gaze you looked down and saw his holding a small knife, pointing it right between your fourth a fifth rib. The quickest way to somebody's heart. It was the knife you always kept hidden in the inside on your thigh high boots, the one you usually used to cut the ropes when you found yourself being tied somewhere and usable to disappear.

Groaning slightly, you put your dagger down and tucked it back in its sheath, inside the sleeve of your blouse.

"Fair enough, it's a draw," you said.

"A draw?" Peter laughed, eyebrow shooting up in surprise. "Now I see a sore loser. I think I won," he bragged.

"Yeah, I know," you rolled your eyes. "Peter Pan never fails."

"You're the one who said it," he pointed out. You smiled softly and he leaned in to kiss you, finally able to have a taste of your lips again after days without even seeing you. Though you didn't say it out loud, you were glad he put an end to your argument, you wanted nothing more than to kiss him again and forget your misadventure. You deepened the kiss, eagerly bringing him closer until there was no room left between your bodies. The small bite you gave to his lower lip made him smile in the kiss.

"Someone missed me," he chuckled playfully. You gave him a small shove and broke the kiss, in a much lighter mood.

"More than you can imagine," you admitted.

"We should got to bed. We both need sleep," he stated. Peter was right of course, you both looked dead tired and ready to pass out.

"Yes you do, you look like shit," you said as a way of agreeing with him without seeming to agree. An art you perfected in over five hundred years of being with the same nasty, treacherous, secretive, self-centered and eyebrow wiggling assh- oh no, now he was pulling that smile he always used when you were mad at him. "Don't even try-" you warned him but he waved it off.

"I don't have to try, it has worked already," he smirked and you rolled your eyes, biting the inside of your cheeks to hold back the grin you wanted to pull. He always had his way with you, you really were a hopeless case.

OOOOOOO

When Peter woke up the next day, he had a fright, for the bed was empty and his hand only found a blanket to grab instead of your body.

"Calm down, I'm right here," you said when Peter shot up and sat on the bed, giving frenetic looks around him. You sat on the thick branch you used as a beam to make the shack hold together. He stood up and looked up towards you. Your blouse hang loosely over your body, covering your backside and the upper part of your thighs, and your long hair spread over your shoulders.

"You're beautiful," Pan said, dumbfounded as if struck by lightning at the sight of you in the morning light. "What are you doing up there?"

"Just thinking. It kept me up most of the night," you smiled at his former declaration. You were never a big sleeper, but even for you it was an unusually short night.

"What are you talking about?" Peter came up to you and leaned against the beam.

"Henry," you simply answered. "In only five days in their company, I was able to tell they'd never leave without him." You turned towards Peter. "They will never give up on him Peter. Dead or alive, this boy will be the death of us if we keep him."

"Well, we'll deal with this in time, but if we don't take his heart I'm gone anyway," Peter said, his eyes looking down. He didn't like to say this out loud, he knew it was painful for you.

"I know," you whispered, your hand brushing against Peter's cheek. He looked up, meeting your eyes and kissing your palm. "But I might have another solution. You won't like it," you warned him.

"Tell me," he encouraged you.

"We don't have to kill the boy, his family will never rest in peace unless they avenged him. If we hurt him, we'll never see the end of it, they will hunt us down." Peter nodded in agreement at your words. "I heard them talk about where they come from. This world without magic, Storybrooke."

"What's your idea?" Peter urged you, growing impatient.

"We can still make a deal with them. Give them the boy back, that's the only thing they want," you explained.

"And ask what in exchange? They have nothing to give us," Peter frowned.

"A one way ticket to their world. If we travel to this Storybrooke, the curse on you will be broken, because there's no place for magic there."

"But what if we lose our powers? They will be even more than they are now, they could turn against us and we'll be powerless," the boy pointed out.

"I doubt it, the Evil Queen still has her powers, so why not us? Besides, we'll make sure our safety is guaranteed, tell them it's the only way you'll let them leave the island," you said.

"Because nobody can leave Neverland without my consent," Peter finished. "There's always a chance of the curse still being there, right?"

"Yes," you said sadly.

"You don't want to kill the boy," Peter stated. It wasn't exactly a question, but you still answered.

"I don't care about him, if his death could be the end of our problems, I would execute him within the minute, but it's not. It'll only be the beginning of our troubles, you know it too. We think we can handle them all, and maybe we can't, Peter. They outnumber us, probably out-power us and if we have one ounce of common sense, we should stop this madness before it even starts."

For a moment he didn't say anything, he paced around like a caged lion, his hand on his chin, demonstrating how deep in thought he was. There was nothing more you could say, you exposed him everything you've thought of during your sleepless hours. You knew you couldn't interfere with his decision, in the end it was his life that was in danger and if he decided to not take a chance and to kill the boy instead, you'd gladly go along with him and rip his heart out yourself to hand it to Peter.

"(Y/N)," he called your name, bursting your bubble of reflexion. For the first time in a lifetime, you saw him teary eyed and it broke your heart. He sat down on the bed and you jumped off the beam to huddled in his lap.

"What do you want to do, Peter?" You waited patiently, stroking his hair until he responded.

"What would you do? If it was your life?" He asked, surprising you.

"It is my life too Peter. If you died, do you honestly think I could go on without you? We've been together for hundreds of years, I can't live without you. Our lives are tied, and regardless of our situation I will always be by your side."

"I love you, you know that?" Peter answered your little declaration, placing a kiss on your naked shoulder.

"I do, and I love you too."

He simply smiled, and after a minute or so, said, "I made my decision."

OOOOOOO

 _A few days later..._

Felix's body was laying on the ground, knocked out, a huge bloody wound on the temple. Emma looked panicked at the though of killing him by accident, but you knew better.

"Step away from him!" You shouted making an abrupt movement with the hand and ended up throwing the Savior across the cave.

Felix, Henry, Peter, you and the bunch of merry companions that came here to save the boy were all gathered on the Skull Rock.

Rumpelstiltskin had stolen Henry from you and Peter a few days before, but luckily, he needed him to fulfill his own evil plans, which failed.

"Why are you doing this?" Snow White cried out, having joined her daughter, dizzy after the knock you gave her.

"Leave Henry alone!" Charming added. "He's just a kid! He's innocent!"

"Let him live!" Snow resumed and Peter send them across the room to separate them from their daughter and because he was sick of them finishing each others sentences.

"You think you know what's best for him?" You snapped, joining Peter. "You two deserved the award for the worst parents, you literally sent your daughter away when she was two months old! And you-" you pointed your finger towards Emma. "-You followed the lead of your parents, and didn't even want him at all! And now you try to separate him from the only motherly figure he had in his life, and you want to bring a one handed pirate with a drinking problem in his life?

"We might as well cut short to his agony," Peter smirked.

"You heroes think you're the only ones who deserve a happy ending, how selfish is that?" You asked rhetorically. Peter's fingers laced with yours. He knew you took a huge risk by supporting him in his idea, it was risky, it was desperate, but he knew that you would always stand by him. If this failed, they'd never stop chasing you both, ruining your lives out of vengeance.

"Why are you with him?" Emma suddenly cried. The question was directed to you. "He's a monster!"

A rush a pure anger flashed through your veins, making your hair stand on end all over your body and clench your jaw. Your first instinct was to snap her neck and throw her body in the sea but she just injured not only Peter but also your love for him, and that deserved an answer. Choosing words over fists was a first to you, but it was never too late to learn, right?

"To love a villain you must become one," you replied mysteriously. "I know you can understand because you're fighting for the same reason as me: love."

Impressed, Peter took the relay when your voice trembled, "You might never forgive us, but you will understand. Maybe one day you'll even forget."

"No!" She whimpered, tears flowing from her eyes. Snow White, Charming and the others were frozen in place a few meters away, unable to talk, unable to move but their eyes showed just how much they were afraid. Rumpelstiltskin and the Evil Queen were securely under a done Pan had created to keep them from using their powers even if they managed to free themselves from the spell that kept them still. The most powerful people of the realms were all reunited on the Skull Rock, and Henry was asleep on the cold stone ground, - along with Felix - not having a single clue about the things that played out because of him right now.

"No, please, please, he's my son!" She tried to stand up and stumbled over to Henry's body, shaking him. "Wake up, Henry! Please!" With both hands she grabbed him by the shoulders and started shaking him like a tree, trying to make him react but it was to no use.

"It's too late," you said, pulling the beating heart from behind your back. Emma's cries intensified once again at this sight. Her hopes of bringing back Henry were just reduced to dust and you were smiling. Although he didn't enjoy hurting people – apart from a few who had it coming – but with Peter by your side and when it was necessary, you were capable of anything. With your True Love's life in danger, you would set the whole world on fire if it was what it takes.

"Listen," Peter walked down to the Savior and her son's body. "He's still alive, he just doesn't have a heart. You'll get your son back. Sort of," he added the last part with a chuckle. "We're not doing this out of pleasure, we have no other choice."

"Yes you do!" Rumpelstiltskin's voice made them spin on their heels. His insufferable laughter filled the cave and echoed, his voice reflected by the polished stone. The spell holding him in place still held but he managed to speak despite it. "Our dearies here wanted to come to Storybrooke!" He laughed.

Emma looked at him, trying to blink her tears away, "W-why?" she asked, her lips still quivering and her vision troubled with an incessant flow of salted tears.

"Because the spell cast on Pan might break if we go in a world without magic. Your world," you sighed. Peter shot you a glare, but you ignored it. This was going fine, whatever Rumpelstiltskin could say, you still had all the cards in hands and you led the game.

"But that means leaving Neverland. Leaving the boys, even your shadow," Rumpelstiltskin stated, obviously enjoying himself. It as enough to see Charming and Snow's expression to understand they didn't see it coming. The Evil Queen looked annoyed because she couldn't break the spell like Rumpelstiltskin did.

"Come with us then!" Emma almost pleaded you both, still on her knees. Her eyes shone with hope, a spark of despair flashing in them as she looked towards you and Peter."We won't do anything against you, just- just give Henry his heart back." She was obviously ready to do anything in her power to keep her son safe, which was understandable but also ridiculously predictable.

"No!" You said.

"(Y/N)," Peter whispered. "If that's what you want..."

"I want you to stay alive!" You shouted, cutting short to the confusion Rumpelstiltskin had cast over all the people present. Felix's figure was still in your field of vision, here to remind you that even though they were the good ones, they could still play dirty. Hook was waking up from his slumber after he passed out when you held him by the throat until the lack of air made him faint.

"He will!" Emma interjected.

Peter turned to her and snapped, "Don't make promises you cannot keep." He faced you once again. "I trust you with my life. You have the heart, you make the rules," he told you.

According to the panic in your eyes, the sudden weight on your shoulders was overwhelming and it crushed you. Here you stood, with the young boy's throbbing heart in your hand and even though it was the boy's life it should represent, you only saw it as Peter's. Peter was giving you absolute power over his life, you were the one to decide and he trusted your ability to make the right decision. Emma still cried silently over the unconscious body of her only son, and Peter's gaze was upon you, awaiting your answer.

Soon, it'd be too late, the moon would rise down and you'll miss your chance to put Henry's heart in Peter's chest, but how could you know what the best choice was? You didn't see the future and your magic or your fighting skills were no help in this situation. You hadn't realized tears showed up at the corner of your eyes until Pan's fingers came to your cheek to brush off a tear.

"I can't," you shook your head.

The look of distraught in Peter's eyes was heartbreaking, until you turned around to face Emma.

"I can't Emma, I can't lose him. It's not personal, but this time... it's our turn." You placed the glowing heart against Peter's chest.

"No! No, no," Emma screamed even louder, holding the boy's body against her. "Please, you can't do that! We'll take you with us! Come to Storybrooke, you can live there, let him live, I'm begging you!"

Silence surrounded them for a moment but it was finally broken when you laughed. Once again they were all plunged in confusion, here you were smiling from ear to ear, laughing of you sweet laughter while literally holding the fate of everybody on this island in the palm of your hand.

"Begging?" You asked, a smirk painting on your lips. With your sleeve you rubbed the tears away, and started playing with the heart, making it twirl in your hands.

"Heroes don't beg," Peter suddenly laughed.

The Savior suddenly looked lost and she only reacted when all the others gasped and fell on the ground at the same time, a deaf sound and a yelp resulting from the action.

"You little bast-" The Evil Queen started but Peter shut her up.

"Don't make me hex you again, _Queenie_ ," he snickered. "Get down your high horses, we're not going to kill anyone – for now."

"W-what?" Snow White asked. Her face was stained with so many tears in was a miracle she didn't drown in her own tears.

"We're _villains_ ," he exclaimed, bringing an arm around you. "And we're good at it, in case you haven't noticed yet. We knew you wouldn't do as we asked if we didn't hit were it hurt. Now that you're all disposed to listen to us, we have a proposition to make." Peter knelt down before Emma, Henry's heart in the hand after taking it from you. "We'll keep this, until we arrive, safe and sound, and more importantly until the end of the negotiations."

"Neither of you will set a foot on my ship," Hook spat at you, and Emma called him, scolding him.

"Hook! We don't have a choice," she groaned, glaring you daggers through her eyelashes. "What are your conditions?"

The hatred in her eyes was undeniable and genuine. It made you smile, because you knew the feeling. Hating was so easy and so familiar. You hated all of them, all of the people who tried to hurt Peter, or to separate you from him.

"We want to be left alone, no hostility coming from anyone, not from you, not from her," he pointed to the Evil Queen who had the audacity to look surprised, "and not from anyone else in your world." It was obvious they' try to get rid of you as soon as they had the advantage, so you had to make sure you were always a step ahead of them.

"Deal," Emma agreed, though it cost her to say that. She was still clinging at Henry's body, reminder that she had no choice but to say yes to every since one of your conditions.

"We want a shelter and money, everything we need to survive in your world," you answered instead of Peter.

"Done," the Evil Queen said. It earned her the glares from everybody. "What? I'm the one with money here, that condition only engages me!"

"And we intend to make you keep your engagement," Peter warned her. "I guess we have a deal then."

"Now give me his heart!" Emma ordered him, reaching out to take it. She practically threw herself at Peter, in an attempt to grab the heart, but it was a desperate move. Pan reappeared two feet away from her and smirked.

"Bad girl," he laughed. "Not until your part of the deal is fulfilled."

A high pitched laughter came from Rumpelstiltskin, making you snort in disdain, and he stated, "What a lovely outcome! I think I'm taking a liking on these two, you should take example, dear," he addressed the last comment to Regina. She shut him up with a quick gesture of the hand.

"As long as you respect your part of the contract, we'll let him live," Peter said solemnly, his hands finding yours and holding to it like it was the only thing in the world that held him back from floating away, the only thing that mattered. And it really was. You were his everything, and he was yours.

Peter squeezed the heart slightly, causing them all to reach out their hands as if it was any use. "If you don't, I guess you all know what'll happen."

OOOOOOO

Peter made you both appear atop the waterfall. It was almost dawn but it was still dark. The only sound you could hear was the calm flow of the water hitting the rocks and not one nasty comment from the Queen or high pitched laugh from Rumpelstiltskin was disturbing the atmosphere.

"For our last day on Neverland, I thought I'd bring you here," Peter said. He sat down and you mimicked him.

"Where's Felix?" You worried about your friend.

"At the camp, the other boys will take care of him. And he'll be a good leader once we leave," he declared. "It'll be hard."

"I know," you whispered, leaning your head on his shoulder. "Leaving Neverland and the Lost Boys. It's all we knew for the last five hundred years, and now we'll have to live without it."

"But we'll live. Both of us," he smiled, kissing your head and bringing his arm around your frame to pull you close.

"It was a close call this time," you said, placing a kiss on his shoulder, then his neck.

"We've been avoiding death for as long as my memory goes, we weren't going to give up this time. But yes," he nodded. "It was close. Too close for comfort, but we made it."

You raised your head and looked at him. His profile, his nose, his eyes, his lips. The boy was yours. He has been since the first time you met him, when you jumped from a branch and knocked him out, thinking he was going to attack you, and he would be so the next life. Your last life, a life you'd spend growing old with him instead of staying young, frozen in time.

"We've lived a thousand lives," he said, mostly to himself. "But it feels like it's the first time we'll actually live our life."

You smiled and took his chin in your hands to bring his lips down onto yours. Your move took him by surprise but he gladly answered to the kiss, his hands shooting up to cup your cheek. Pushing your hair out of your face, Peter stroked your skin and placed little kisses all over your face, sending you in a fit of giggles, before capturing your lips again in another kiss.

"Let us live then," you concluded, smiling into the kiss.


End file.
